Once an order is approved, it is locked. The correction path depends on what was wrong.
Use the narrowest correction that preserves the audit trail and does not change clinical content without authorization.
Choose the correction type
Problem | Correction |
The order description was wrong, vague, or missing a required detail | Clarification Order |
The order description was correct, but a content tab was missed | Dummy Order |
Use a clarification order when wording was wrong
Use a clarification order when the clinical content of the order needs to be corrected.
Create a new order.
Begin the order description with Clarification Order:.
State the corrected detail in full. Do not write only "see previous order" or "correcting date only."
Update every content type tab the corrected order touches.
Route the order for provider signature.
Example:
Clarification Order: SN visit on 8/5/26 for wound assessment and dressing change. Clarifies order dated 8/1/26, which did not specify a visit date.
Use a dummy order when a tab was missed
Use a dummy order only when the original approved order was already correct and a content tab was missed.
Create a new order.
State what is being added to the chart.
Reference the signed order it comes from, including the date.
Update the tab that was missed.
Do not route for a new provider signature when the clinical content was already authorized.
Example:
Adding 8/5/26 SN visit to calendar per physician order signed 8/1/26.
Then add the visit to the Calendar tab.
Do not use a dummy order to change the order
A dummy order only syncs the chart to an order that was already right. If the original wording was wrong, vague, missing the date, missing the discipline, or missing the clinical rationale, use a clarification order instead.
Before the order leaves the portal queue
If the provider is enrolled in the portal and the wording issue is found immediately after approval, the order may still be editable before it leaves the portal queue.
Use this only as a same-moment correction. Content type tabs lock at approval. Treat approval as final.
If something goes wrong
The calendar was not opened before approval. If the order wording already authorized the visit, use a dummy order to update the calendar. If the wording did not authorize the visit, use a clarification order.
The order says "extra visit" with no date. Use a clarification order and route it for provider signature.
The correction references an old order but does not restate the correction. Rewrite it so the clarification stands on its own.